Mike Rockenfeller figures the gap between 2018 and 2019 cars

2019 marks the year of serious technical upheaval in DTM. The German touring championship will now rely on 4-cylinder turbo engines, replacing the old naturally aspirated V8s, a change which seems to offer good prospects in terms of performance.

After having changed the aerodynamics of cars in 2018, the DTM technical department hopes to see the promises seen in development tests at Audi and BMW come to fruition on the track. On the pilots' side, the gain already seems substantial.

“Depending on the track, lap times will be two or three seconds faster than before, underlines Mike Rockenfeller, former champion of the discipline. You approach corners more quickly and braking phases become a little longer.

We go down the straights faster because we're riding at higher speeds – maybe over 300 km/h for the first time. It should be fantastic and should certainly be possible with DRS and a bit of vacuum.

The naturally aspirated engine delivered its power in a much more linear manner and, with its air restrictors, reached its limit at around 500 horsepower. The turbo has a smaller displacement, four fewer cylinders and completely different characteristics.

We have about 100 more horses. Obviously you feel it. The engine has greater thrust. Feeling its acceleration even in fourth, fifth and sixth gear is impressive. You have enormous power as soon as the turbo kicks in.”

“Rocky” however warns of an already important factor in DTM, but will have to be closely monitored by the teams this year, especially since the data relating to each circuit will not be available with the new turbo engines.

“The tires are the same, but now an extra 100 horsepower drives the rear wheels, making them spin faster, underlines Rockenfeller. The load is higher, especially for the rear tires »

But the German remains confident about the choice made by the championship management, which will also lead to a first confrontation on the track with the Japanese Super GT cars.

“Overall we have a good base. We cover around 500 km per test day and collect a lot of data which we analyze. We know where we still need to improve.

This is a big step forward for the DTM and I am extremely excited to see how the first race of the new DTM era goes. With the arrival ofAston Martin, there will also be a new brand and new faces. And the first joint race with the Japanese Super GT is planned. I am sure the 2019 DTM will be exciting. »